FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Khalif Battle scored a career-high 42 points with six rebounds and one assist to lead Arkansas to an 88-73 victory over Missouri at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville on Saturday.
It's the Razorbacks' first back-to-back wins in SEC play this season, and they put together a late first-half push to build momentum.
Arkansas (14-13, 5-9 SEC) and Missouri (8-14, 0-14 SEC) traded the lead 11 times, seven in the first 20 minutes, but it was a 15-2 run sparked by a three-pointer by Battle that tied the game 22-22 with 7:52 remaining, bringing the crowd at Bud Walton Arena to life.
Makhi Mitchell recorded 13 points on 50% shooting with six rebounds for the Razorbacks, while Tramon Mark added 10 points, a game-high seven rebounds and three assists for an Arkansas offense that shot 48.1% from the field and 10 of 25 (40%) from three.
Coming out of the break with a two-point advantage, the Hogs allowed Missouri to steal the lead back with a 12-2 run. Tamar Bates and Nick Honor knocked in a pair of three-pointers, and Sean East II sunk two free throws to give the Tigers a 46-43 lead with just under 14 minutes remaining in the game.
East led Missouri with 33 points, three rebounds and two assists, while Honor scored 14 points and Bates added 11.
That three-point lead was the most the Tigers would lead by in the second half, as Battle took over to will the Razorbacks to victory.
The graduate senior transfer from Temple scored nine consecutive points for Arkansas, including two three-pointers to give the Hogs a 59-52 lead with 9:13 to play.
Battle shot 11 of 15 (73.3%) from the field and was an efficient 6 of 10 (60%) from behind the three-point line. He made all 14 of his free throw attempts and had zero turnovers in 38 minutes of action.
Three minutes later, Battle made the play of the day and drilled a three-pointer despite contact to complete a rare four-point play, giving the Razorbacks a 65-54 lead, their first double-digit advantage.
Battle's 42 points are the most scored by an SEC player this season and the second by a Razorback in an SEC game. Additionally, Battle is the third player in program history to score 40 points in an SEC game, joining Mason Jones and all-time leading scorer Todd Day.
The 42 points are the seventh most in a game in Arkansas history and the highest since Rotnei Clark scored 51 in 2009.
Arkansas returns to action on Tuesday against Vanderbilt, who sits second to last in the SEC standings. Coverage from Bud Walton Arena begins at 8 p.m. Central on the SEC Network.
Click here for the complete 2023-2024 Arkansas men's basketball schedule.